Party for VIP Lewis Jeynes

A party to help children with serious or life-limiting illnesses create precious memories is being held in Doncaster.

More than 150 people will attend the event, on August 27, being hosted by national charity Rays of Sunshine.

The party will honour 12-year-old Doncaster boy Lewis Jeynes, who has been living with a terminal condition called Batten Disease since he was two.

Lewis’s family was contacted by Rays of Sunshine who wanted to send him and his family to Florida for a holiday as part of their Makes A Wish foundation. However, the complexities of Lewis’s illness meant the trip had to be cancelled, so the charity decided to throw a party for him and his friends instead.

Lewis’s dad James said: “Lewis is a fantastically brave little boy who loves all the same things other children love - watching TV, reading books, animals, spending time with his family and friends.

“Lewis was developing normally until he was two, walking and talking, greeting everyone with a big ‘hiya’ and chasing the cat around the house, then one day he began limping. He lost use of his legs, then his arms, then he couldn’t swallow.

“The condition is rare and the life expectancy of a child with Batten Disease is just 12-years-old, the same age Lewis is now, so we want to make sure he’s leading a life that is as happy and fulfilling as it can be. Parties like this are so important as they create precious memories for children like Lewis, who will not make it out of his teens.”